A/N: I'm sorry if the fighting scenes were kinda messy. :P I'm inexperienced. LOL. Thanks for your reviews though. XD This chapter is slightly longer than intended, so enjoy. :D There is light KibaIno, and if you can detect, a tinge of SasuSaku. The whole chapter is not very smooth so, pardon and bear with me! :)
Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Naruto and characters are not mine.
14.
"Uchiha Itachi has sprained his ankle. Uchiha Sasuke's a bit messy though. He's suffering from haemorrhage and is currently under stable condition. Haruno Sakura and his brother are with him. Inuzuka Kiba tore his knee ligament while Uzumaki Naruto got away with gashes and cuts."
"Good," Tsunade said, her footsteps in sync with Iruka's as the two walked briskly down the corridors of the hospital, bypassing patients, nurses and doctors.
"Sabaku Gaara.." Iruka hesitated, his dark eyes uncertain.
"Sabaku Gaara what?" Tsunade urged him.
"He -he got shot in the chest. But the bullet didn't hit his heart though. Just - near it."
The head stopped fully, making a doctor bump into her.
"Sorry."
"S'alright."
She turned on Iruka fully, hazel eyes closed.
"And then?"
"He's in the OT now. The surgeons are taking the bullet out." Iruka reported quickly.
"Okay."
Both rounded a corner swiftly and Tsunade stepped into a cubicle separated by curtains. Naruto sat there, staring at the machine which was currently measuring his heart rate. The blond turned his aqua eyes on her - they held a sort of dead look in them.
"Are you alright?" Iruka asked, stepping foward.
Naruto nodded.
"How's teme?" He asked, his voice hoarse.
"Very stable, but unconscious."
The Uzumaki took this news without any reaction, which was considered very alarming.
"We followed the plan," He suddenly said before the head could even speak. "There were five bodyguards, and five of us. One was shot thrice and unconscious, while four of us had to deal with five bodyguards. Kusugi Masato, Michio and Ishikawa took the opportunity to flee. Itachi managed to follow the trio, but he was held back again by the bodyguards. Sasuke took his lead while I went to Gaara. We were supposed to get three of them back, but now," At here, Naruto paused and fisted his hand. "We don't even have a single one of them under us."
"Things like that happen always, Naruto," Iruka said, leaning against a wall, his dark eyes soft. "Our job creates uncertaincy in everything we do."
There was silence for a few seconds before Tsunade spoke up. "I've issued an alert to the police as well as the other agents. I believe we'll get them soon."
Naruto just looked down.
"Just keep your mind off this for awhile." Tsunade ordered, her blonde hair gleaming under the lights. "Meanwhile though, I need to have a word with Hinata. Iruka, call me if Gaara gets out. I'll visit him along with the others."
Hinata stucked her hands through her hair as she leaned her elbows against the table in the interrogation room, white eyes downcast. Approximately 3 hours since Tsunade dispatched the retrieval team, she hadn't heard of any news, and it was driving her mad. Anko and Kakashi had not allowed her out of the room after the interrogation, though it was clear why. There was a chance, no matter how slight, that Gaara was a traitor, and if she had been in close contact with him the past weeks, then she certainly would be questioned and kept under surveillance until Gaara cleared his name and his motives.
The door swung open and Hinata looked up eagerly, half expecting Gaara to walk in. Instead, Tsunade, followed by Kurenai and Kakashi, appeared.
"Hinata," Tsunade sat across her.
"Have they rescued him?" She asked quickly.
"Yes." The blonde replied. There seemed to be a 'but' coming on.
"B-but what?" She whispered, her heart thrashing about.
"All team members are injured, and Gaara is currently having a bullet taken out."
"A bullet taken o-out- out from w-where?"
Tsunade stared into her eyes. "Chest."
Drawing in a deep breath, the Hyuuga's hands immediately went clammy. "C-chest?" She looked to Kurenai, then Kakashi, as though seeking help.
"He's undergoing an op," Kurenai said gently, stepping forward to take Hinata's hands. The warmth from Kurenai gave her little comfort. Hinata had a string urge to puke and retch, her eyes tearing up. She sat perfectly still however, back ramrod straight, but eyes still on the table. This didn't seem so unexpected, after the 12 hours of near hell situations she'd been through.
One tear fell onto the table and a couple more joined the first.
"Its- its p-protocol," She spoke, trembling. "T-that when one's partner f-fails, the other must c-continue,"
Kakashi dropped his head and his mask made a slight movement. "That is correct, Hinata."
"S-so I'll continue." The Hyuuga's eyes closed as she wept silently. "I'll track d-down Kusugi Masato."
"No," Kurenai shook her head. "Hinata, its not only Masato. Kusugi Michio and Ishikawa Izumo are our targets now as well. Michio is Masato's twin, and he has a part to play in Ishkawa's drug case."
Hinata took this in, reeling a little.
"They e-escaped?"
Tsunade nodded.
Hinata's shoulders sagged.
"I still have to go after them," She said softly. "If you will allow me to." It was contrasting to hear such a petite woman say such a thing. Leaning down, Kakashi murmured to Tsunade. "Gaara's still not cleared yet, even though we trust Hinata. We have to account for every decision made."
The blond nodded yet again. "I know." She answered steadily.
"Hinata." Tsunade leaned forward, closer to the agent. "I will allow you to finish and wrap this assignment up. But from now, you're going solo. We will keep track of your every move though, and should you require backup, we will provide you with that. You're going to have to do alot of work with this. Do you understand that?"
"Y-yes," She whispered.
"Good." Tsunade leaned back.
"Tsunade-sama," Hinata asked tentatively. "Can I see Gaara?"
Hazel eyes regarded her.
"Its alright if you won't let me talk to him. I- I just want to see him. Please."
An hour later, Hinata stood outside the hospital ward as Tsunade and Kakashi went through it. Her heart was thumping, and an odd and empty feeling swirled around in her stomach as she followed them in, clutching a bunch of white lilies in one hand. A uniformed policeman stood beside the double doors, hands behind his back.
The redhead was asleep, a bruise was forming on his cheek and jaw. His shirt lay open, revealing bandages running horizontally around his torso. More peeked out from under his sleeve, indicating the wound on his arm. Hinata felt cool and sweet relief course through her as the redhead dozed on, sleeping off the effects of the anaesthasia given to him. He was alive. Living and breathing.
It seemed as though this scene was a reoccurence to the day before Gaara had disappeared. This time though, the redhead didn't wake up, and the Hyuuga realised with a sinking stomach that his left hand had been handcuffed to the railings beside the bed. It seemed to imply that he still carried the distinct idea of a traitor and that Argon still had his doubts about him.
Hinata moved closer, overwhelmed by his presence. It had been so long since she last saw him. Had he been through alot? Why did he look so pale? She didn't hear what Tsunade was saying, however, because she was staring at Gaara. She wanted to pull him up and wrap her arms around him. The impulse to touch him was so strong, she had to grasp the railings tightly.
The door behind them opened again, signalling the doctor's entrance. He was in his thirties with blond hair and an easygoing smile.
"Hello," He greeted pleasantly. "I'm Dr. Junichi. I'm not the one who operated on him, although I was at the OT earlier with him.
"Sabaku Gaara's in a somewhat stable conditon now, although I suggest you refrain from interrogating him at least until this Friday. He'll be drowsy and he won't remember much at the moment. These conditions vary from person to person however. He shouldn't do any thing strenous, which means no exercising, no running or sprinting about. He will also need a full month to recover."
Tsunade nodded.
"What about his memory?" Kakashi spoke up.
"I don't think that he will have any problems in that area." The doctor glanced at the redhead. "The bullet is far from the brain, so no worries."
"Alright." Tsunade said, nodding.
Dr. Junichi checked his clipboard again. "Hm...Uchiha Sasuke's haemorrhage has shown signs of stopping, and he's likely to wake up anytime. Perhaps you would like to follow me to his ward?"
Tsunade nodded approvingly. She turned to Kakashi, who nodded as well.
"Hinata. I'll leave you here then."
"Yes."
She nodded at Tsunade and Kakashi, who exited with the doctor. Sighing, she removed a few stalks of lilies and arranged them carefully into a vase on the chest of drawers beside the bed. The rest would be for Kiba.
From here on, Gaara, I'm going to make sure they get caught. Do you think I'll succeed?
Gaara didn't reply, of course.
I'll do my best. Those bullets weren't for nothing.
The redhead turned a little, and the Hyuuga started, but he settled into a deep sleep again.
Were you always with us? With Argon? I don't believe you leaked info out, did you, Gaara?
Hinata stood up and pulled the blanket over his torso, tucking him neatly into the bed.
"I'll be back soon." She whispered so softly, she didn't even hear herself.
The Hyuuga turned and snuck a last glance at her partner as she pulled open the door.
Goodbye, Gaara.
Stepping out, she headed down to the elevator. Kiba would definitely appreciate her visit. The Inuzuka always didn't fail to make her laugh with his antics, and she hoped he was better. Kiba had tore his knee ligament, according to Kakashi. Itachi and Naruto were the only two who didn't have to stay overnight at the hospital, although Itachi would most likely be recuperating.
There was a light ding, and Hinata stepped out, turning left. She paused before entering, after hearing a very familiar voice, besides Kiba's that is.
"Kiba, don't do that! You're injured, for god's sake!" Ino's voice floated through the doors. Hinata blinked for a moment, then entered. Ino was perched on the Inuzuka's bed, while Kiba grinned at her.
"Hey hey Hinata!"
"Hinata!"
The Hyuuga smiled, and she immediately felt herself relax.
"Hello Ino, Kiba," She approached them as Ino stood up. "How are you Kiba?"
"Knee hurts like hell and my back's sore, but I'm good," He held up both hands good naturedly.
"Do you want me to put these in the vase?" Ino asked as she gestured to the lilies.
"Thank you Ino," She handed them over to the tall blonde, who took them and arranged the lillies with the few stalks of daffodils.
"Have a seat, Hinata," Kiba gestured to the chair on his left.
"Okay," She sat and studied the darkhaired man and Ino who had resumed her position beside's Kiba's thigh. She noticed that Kiba's right knee had a beige coloured bandage around it, and he wasn't moving too much either.
"Takes nearly a month to fully recover," Kiba said, meeting Hinata's gaze. He sighed.
"What about Akamaru?" Hinata asked curiously. Kiba was almost never complete without the wolf like canine, and it seemed a little weird to see him without Akamaru.
"With my sis," He grinned.
"He misses his dog terribly," Ino rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde hair over a shoulder. "I don't see how he's going to survive these few weeks."
Kiba grinned and placed a hand behind his head as Hinata laughed. The Hyuuga noticed wistfully that Ino seemed particularly close to Kiba and felt for a moment that she had been intruding upon them. The Inuzuka leaned closer to Ino and said something, making the agent blink exhaustedly as she waved him away mockingly, but she had a pleased smile on her face. Hinata felt the slightest tinge of envy as she smiled at them.
"Hinata," Kiba started, snapping her out of her daze.
"Hm?" She asked, meeting his eyes.
"If...if you're- I mean, if you have an assignment this time, be careful alright?" He said seriously. "Be alert."
"I will," She smiled at him.
"Good." The Inuzuka nodded.
Hinata set to work the very next day, keeping in mind the little bits and pieces of news that said either Kusugi brothers or Ishikawa had been spotted. There was a trend she discovered after at least three newspaper clippings, which was that the location of the trio seemed to be moving further and further away from small towns in Konoha. Leaf's airport had upped their security as well, on alert for any signs of either three. It was very likely they would try to flee the country. Business associates of the Kusugis had become more wary of each other, trying to infer if the men among them had supposedly slept with models Kusugi offered. The ones who did were left in a state of anxiety and petrified after thinking of the consequences lest they were revealed. Although the police hadn't requested the presence of the people Kusugi Masato and Michio had come in contact with, it would be eventual that they did.
Tsunade had requested that Yuzuki Eiji, the lone survivor out of the 5 men at the launch, be interrogated again. It was very likely that he had lied, if Gaara hadn't. The Hyuuga wondered if the redhead had awoke yet, leaning back in her desk chair as she stared at her computer screen. Beside the screen, there was a map of Konoha with three pins pinpointing the supposed location of her targets. She had sent policemen down to check, although none had returned yet.
"Still on the case?" A voice asked nearby, somewhere hear her crown.
Hinata swivelled and looked up.
"Neji," She greeted her cousin, standing up. The Hyuuga leaned his shoulder against the wall separating her desk from Tenten's empty one.
He nodded. "How's Gaara?"
"Well," Hinata hesitated. "I don't know. I saw him last night, but he was asleep. They got the bullet out though."
Neji nodded again.
"Neji," She started, twisting her hands. "T-thank you, for-for that d-day,"
"That day? Oh." Hinata thought she'd just witnessed her cousin blushed, but couldn't quite see the pink tinge she just saw a nanosecond ago. "Yeah. Well." The tall Hyuuga tilted his head. "Good luck with it then. And be careful too."
Exactly the same words Kiba had uttered.
"I will, nii san."
The phone on her desk crackled.
"Hinata? Could you come to my office for a sec?" Tsunade.
"Okay," She replied quickly.
"See you then," Neji nodded at her, moving away.
"Alright. Bye."
"Bye."
Hinata hurried to Tsunade's office and entered, wondering what the head wanted.
"Tsunade-sama?"
"Ah, Hinata," She said, staring at her computer screen as she peered at it. Finally dropping her gaze, she focused on Hinata. "About the assignment I gave you,"
"Yes,"
"It would be best if you kept it from other agents for the time being. I don't want any risks, and I want it to be successful."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
"If Gaara asks about it, you will say that you're assisting other agents in the case. There will be no need for evidence, because I don't see why the Kusugis should run if they haven't done anything wrong. We'll also start to call up on his closest business friends first. The police will handle that area though."
Hinata nodded.
"If he probes any further, then tell him to come to me." Tsunade kneaded her forehead with her fingers.
"Okay," Hinata answered, supressing the urge to shiver at the thought of looking at Gaara's penetrating jade eyes while she spoke the untruth.
When she exited Tsunade's office later, Genma loped towards her, a clear bag in one hand and a folder in another.
"Hinata," He stopped and grinned, the long toothpick moving up.
"Genma," She said. "Have you got the bullet?"
"Yep. Straight from Sabaku's chest, but thoroughly cleaned." He grinned again as they headed for her desk. "The folder contains the origins of the bullet and the various types of guns Kusugi may have used. Hope its useful."
"Thank you very much," She smiled.
"No prob. Come to me if you wanna talk about it," He replied, saluting as he strode off. The bullet and its report wasn't of much use, for Kusugi could have ditched the gun already. But it was a good piece of report though. Eventually, it would probably help her, one way or another.
A glance at her wristwatch told her it was a quarter past one. Grabbing her bag, the Hyuuga stood up and decided that it would be a good time to visit Gaara. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't had her lunch yet as she rode the elevator down. Hinata didn't fancy a meal, so she just bought a couple of sandwiches and munched on them on the way to the general hospital.
A different policeman was there, this time younger than the previous one.
Fresh out of the academy, she thought, eyes sweeping over his bright eyed gaze. He nodded at her as she pushed opened the door.
There, sitting on the bed and leaning against the pillows was the redhead, his green eyes as brilliant as ever, his crimson hair turning different shades of red under the lights as he turned to stare at her.
Hinata herself was tongue tied, so she just stood there as the door swung shut and stared into his eyes, which had the slightest hint of a smile. He surprised her even more when the corners of his mouth went up a little.
And then he uttered her name in his throaty tone which send little tingles down her spine as she stood there, clutching her handbag.
"Hinata."
Whoa.
It sounded so refreshing to hear him speak.
"Gaara," She croaked out, moving forward woodenly. Heck, she didn't even know she had stepped forward. Very nice, Hinata. Oh, and she was beside him now. There was a rustle, and she realised that he had been reading the newspapers. It had been turned to page 3, where the case regarding Kusugi Masato was reported in a short column. They hadn't mentioned any of the agents' names, just Masato, Michio and Ishikawa Izumo. There was a picture of all three too.
Then she made a mistake of looking further up, at his chest. His shirt was still unbuttoned.
"How do you feel?" She asked, smiling a little.
"Slight aching," He said, meeting her white eyes. "In the chest."
"Oh," She blushed, remembering her tears when she'd heard of the wound. That seemed such a long time ago. His left hand was still handcuffed, and it twitched a little when she set eyes on it, as though Gaara wanted to lift it up.
"They don't want to risk me running off again," He said huskily.
"Well, y-you wouldn't," Hinata glanced shyly at him.
"Did you tell them that when they interrogated you?" The redhead asked.
Hinata didn't dare look at him.
"Yes," She said very softly.
"You're very foolish," He said as she stared at him, orbs unreadable.
"Why?" Hinata questioned timidly.
"Because you trust people so easily." He answered as she felt heat creeping up her neck. "You trust me so easily, so much." His right hand had come up, up to her hair, pushing some strands away behind her ear. "Too much."
Hinata stood very still, unable to meet his gaze however. What did he mean? What did his words mean?
Something warm and heavy was on her neck, she realised suddenly. Gaara's hand had found his way there, and he applied pressure, making her bend as he leaned closer. Hinata closed her eyes as their lips melded perfectly, and Gaara's tongue found its way past her lips. She kissed him back passionately after a few seconds, her hand coming up against his chest, careful not to touch his wound however. Moving her head back to allow more room, she sighed into his mouth, relishing the feel of his mouth on hers. Slipping up her hand, Hinata held his shoulder tightly and allowed him to ravish her as his thumb stroked her cheek lazily. There was a clink; the redhead had attempted to lift up his left hand, but the handcuff had hindered his movements.
Groaning, he released her, eyes glazed and slightly frustrated. Hinata slowly reopened hers, obviously in a daze, lips still parted and breathing hard.
"What if I was a traitor? What if I really did betray Argon?" He asked hoarsely.
"You wouldn't. I knew it."
"What if?"
Hinata smiled sadly down at him.
"I-I don't know," She said. It would hurt, she knew. It would be painful like a bullet wound, or even worse.
"You shouldn't have judged too quickly," He said, his hand stilll cupping her neck. Hinata placed her hand over Gaara's free one and smiled.
"I didn't judge too quickly," She replied. "Your actions made me judge, Gaara."
Thanks!